Listen to News with Tara Benwell - Instructions:
1. Preview the vocabulary and read the gapfill text.
2. Play the news report and try to fill in the blanks.
3. Answer the comprehension questions by writing full sentences.
4. Use the discussion question to write an essay or discuss the story with other students.
5. Click "show Answers" to see the full text.
6. Pretend to be a news anchor by reading each story out loud.

Vegetarians and vegans across the UK were outraged to that the new five pound , which went into circulation this September, contains traces of animal fat from cows, sheep, or pigs. Since news about the contents of the new fiver, thousands of people have signed a petition asking for the notes to be . Some British Hindu leaders are considering banning the notes from temples because cows are sacred in the Hindu . Central banks in dozens of countries around the world have already switched to the same type of plastic (polymer) cash because it is much more durable than paper.

Comprehension Questions

What are vegetarians and vegans upset about?

Why does the report mention Hindu leaders?

Why are many central banks switching to plastic (polymer) bank notes?

Discussion Questions: Do you still carry cash on an everyday basis? How long do you think it will be before physical currency is no longer in circulation in your country?

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UK’s New 5 Pound Note Contains Animal Fat
Vegetarians and vegans across the UK were outraged to discover that the new five pound note, which went into circulation this September, contains traces of animal fat from cows, sheep, or pigs. Since news broke about the contents of the new fiver, thousands of people have signed a petition asking for the notes to be redesigned. Some British Hindu leaders are considering banning the notes from temples because cows are sacred in the Hindu religion. Central banks in dozens of countries around the world have already switched to the same type of plastic (polymer) cash because it is much more durable than paper.

Vegetarians and vegans are upset about the UK’s new five pound bank note because it contains traces of animal products.

The report mentions Hindu leaders because some are considering banning the new UK five pound notes in their temples. Cows are scared in the Hindu religion, and the bank notes contain traces of animal products from cows.

Many central banks are switching to polymer bank notes because these last longer than paper notes.

Written by Tara Benwell for EnglishClub

Tara Benwell is a Canadian freelance writer and editor who specializes in materials and articles for the ELT industry.

One Comment

Har Rodica says:

Could you have listening passages about modern singers like one direction, fashion,something teenagers will be really interested in.I mean real ” news” not passages from old textbooks ( like the one about the mummy).Maybe a passage from a bestseller like A cat named Bob by James Bowen.
I am an Englush teacher but not a native speaker.